“It won’t be easy to find such things in the future,” Elder Bai said. “I noticed that your brother’s accounting room is a whirlwind of activity. People are getting fired and hired like there’s no tomorrow, and they’re going through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”
“Then we need to make money some other way,” Wang Jun said. “Invest.” He looked to the door, to the clock, and to the door again. Then he pressed a rune on his desk and spoke. “You can come in now.”
Wang Bing, his cousin from Quicksilver City, walked in with a smile. She kept a jade tablet glued to her chest as she walked, the mark of any good assistant. She could jot down notes whenever the situation arose, and if required, search the database it contained for useful information. Judging by the glow it emanated, it was a core-grade treasure. The brightness of the glow spoke volumes about what it contained.
“Thank you for finally taking me up on my offer,” Wang Bing said, taking a seat beside Elder Bai. “Though I really wish it wasn’t so early in the morning.”
“I’m happy you could make it,” Wang Jun said. “Elder Bai, if you could?”
“Right away, young master,” Elder Bai said. He went back to the cupboard and fetched a substantially less expensive—though still high-quality—tea. “This one is a Pu’er tea from True North Country. It was grown alongside rare beans called coffee beans, giving it a unique flavor from sharing the soil. A few of the beans were pressed into the cake, further enhancing the aroma as it aged.”
“Thank you,” Wang Bing said, accepting her cup. “Now tell me, what are we working on? What’s your master plan?”
“You’re putting yourself and your entire family branch at risk by helping us,” Wang Jun said as he also retrieved his cup and took a sip.
“It’s worth it,” Wang Bing said unflinchingly. “Your talent is far greater than Eldest Cousin’s. He might have a fat stack of money and influence, but how long will it last? How will he be able to resist as we whittle away at his fortune?”
“You know full well that my hands are tied,” Wang Jun said. “I can’t directly compete with him.”
“That’s what makes it exciting,” Wang Bing said, rolling her eyes. “Otherwise you wouldn’t even need my help.”
“I can’t do without it,” Wang Jun said. “The others are just blind, whether due to pedigree or petty politics, but you’re different. You’re smart and capable. Now, why don’t you give us a rundown of industries claimed by Wang Ling?”
“Certainly,” she said, drawing a straight line in the air beside them. A green screen appeared, containing dense streams of information. She flicked right three times, and with each flick, loads of information were removed from the original text. “I had the tablet condense and categorize the information, consolidating it into key categories.”
“Impressive,” Wang Jun said.
“It’s just minor data manipulation,” Wang Bing said casually. “It can do many better things. I took the time to review Wang Ling’s holdings. Unsurprisingly, he owns a minority stake in a lot of industries. Twenty percent, to be exact. Given that the number is even across the board, it seems like an intentional number.”
“Likely an arbitrary threshold hashed out by him and the elders,” Wang Jun said. “Enough to give him a reason to claim ownership of an entire industry.”
“Right,” Wang Bing said. “And it seems like his stake in each one was different until six months before your arrival. It was then that he began rebalancing his portfolio, taking a loss in the process. Then he used most of his available capital to purchase up to twenty percent of the family’s most profitable industries.
“Alchemy, blacksmithing, farming, and mining, as well as associated distribution channels,” Wang Bing said. “Though, for some reason, he doesn’t own much real estate.”
“Likely because it’s too expensive,” Wang Jun said. “Real estate is a highly leveraged industry. In addition, the argument that no one can compete in a basic industry like real estate is laughable, since every business depends on owning property. He probably just parked spare money there because it was convenient.”
“Some industries are conspicuously lacking,” Wang Bing said. “Mercenary and security services, insurance, artificery, wholesale.”
“Wholesale’s profit margin is much too low,” Wang Jun said. “Artificery is still in its budding stages, so it’s very speculative. In addition, it’s only useful for low-level cultivators at this point. As for mercenary work and insurance…”
“The risk is just too high,” Wang Bing said, shaking her head. “The blood price for slain mercenaries and the high risk of failure can bankrupt any investor. It would be far too easy for him to hire a rival company or set up easy-to-botch jobs to make you lose your shirt. Insurance companies are much the same.”
Wang Jun leaned back in his chair and tapped a finger on his lips. Wang Bing and Elder Bai remained silent as he thought. Only the sounds of clinking china could be heard in the room as his mind sifted through the endless possibilities.
“Are insurance companies really the same as mercenary companies?” Wang Jun said. “The risks are similar, but the business model is entirely different.” He walked up to her green screen and flicked his fingers a few times, dragging up key characters for her benefit. “Mercenary companies have a blood price, and their jobs are a gambling act. Regardless of how you approach it, your men need to fight to make money.”
He swept his fingers and summoned a new diagram. “But insurance is different. We can keep a small pool of working capital to pay out losses, but where we make our money can vary greatly. We can invest the spare capital wherever we like.”
“I suppose you have a good
